User blog:Pinkguy the b0ss/Donkey Kong Country 2 Review (GBA)
What's up my Shreks, it's me again. If anyone even reads these entries, then you may be wondering... "Wait, didn't this guy already review this game a while ago?" Well, yes, actually I did. The SNES version, that is. This time, I'm looking at the remake for the Game Boy Advance. This is mostly because I felt like getting the portable versions of some of my favorite games, including Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and the other two Donkey Kong Country games, mostly for if I take a road trip. DKC2 is one of my favorite sidescrollers, so of course I was going to try out its GBA remake. Now, having beaten DKC2 GBA, it's time to take a closer look at it. By the end of this post, I want to answer two questions. First, how does DKC2 GBA fare on its own, and second, how does it compare to the SNES original? There's once again no development history to give, so let's jump right in. Story The story is more or less the same as the original, though there is one major addition in the form of an introductory cutscene. In this cutscene, Donkey Kong is relaxing on the beach, when he is suddenly kidnapped by King K. Rool, now dressed as a pirate and going by the name "Kaptain K. Rool." He sends a letter telling the Kong Family that they will have to hand over their bananas if they ever wanted to see DK again. Instead of this, Diddy Kong and his girlfriend Dixie Kong set out to the Kremlings' homeland, Crocodile Isle, in order to save DK and defeat Kaptain K. Rool. Personally, I think the cutscene is a nice addition to the already sufficient story. Graphics This is often an argument against the GBA version in favor of the SNES original. People often say that the graphics are "too low quality" and say that the colors are too saturated. And while yes, I still vastly prefer the SNES graphics for their greater detail and more appealing colors, the GBA version's visuals are nowhere near as terrible as everyone says they are, especially when considering the system's standards. They're still very easy on the eyes. One improvement was the character animations, which actually seem smoother than the original's already great animations. Despite this, though, a few color choices on a select few stages in the game are a bit unappealing and reek of system limitations. Some levels were made brighter because the model 1 GBA didn't have a backlit screen, so there was a good technical reason behind this. While it's mostly not a big deal, in some stages (especially Target Terror and Rickety Race) it makes the game come off as more dated than it really should. Seriously, though, do a few instances of unappealing visuals really ruin a game? Hell no, not even close. As long as the game plays well, I don't care if the graphics are worse than the Atari 2600 or if they look just like real life. Soundtrack This is yet another point of contention in this remake. Some people like the GBA DKC2 soundtrack, and others can't stand it. Personally, I'm in the middle of these two extremes. I think the remixers did a nice job making the soundtrack good by GBA standards. The songs may sound different, but different does not equal bad (generally). And yet, I still prefer the SNES soundtrack, mostly for the higher-quality samples. Gameplay The game has been more or less directly copied from the SNES version, but there are a few noticable differences that I feel need some... further analysis. For one, the level design. All of the levels are pretty much the same, because it is a remake after all. Every now and then, though, there are slight differences, but they're hardly noticable, making them negligible in the grand scheme of things... with a few exceptions I'll discuss later. Something that didn't fare as well was the controls and physics. For the most part, they work just as well as the SNES controls. I swear, though, that the jump is more floaty than the original, which can make some levels more annoying than they really should be. It's still functional despite this, however. One aspect of the control scheme that saw an improvement was the animal buddies. They controlled well in the SNES version, but they control overall a bit better on the GBA. Squawks, Enguarde, and Rattly come to mind, as their control feels a bit more accurate. Unfortunately, Rambi and Squitter are a bit more slippery, which makes them a bit harder to play as. They still control just fine at the end of the day, but after noticing, it was hard not to. Finally, the performance can dip on occasion. It's really only evident on one stage - Parrot Chute Panic, which, for some reason, slows down after a few enemies get onscreen. I really don't know why, but it's still a minor knock against the GBA version. Difficulty In this remake, changes to the difficulty are both a blessing and a curse. For one, the overall difficulty balancing has been improved. Lives are just as plentiful as the SNES version, and the levels and bosses are mostly well-designed. The biggest change is with the save feature. In the original, saving the game cost two banana coins, which was a bit annoying, but not game-ruining. However, in the GBA version, you can save any time you want to from the pause menu on the map screen - just press Start on the world map, and you can save anywhere you want. The game also saves your life count, giving it a further edge over the SNES version's save feature. These changes are a Godsend, because for some reason, the GBA version is a bit harder than the original. For one, let's talk about the screen size. The GBA has a smaller resolution than the SNES, so obviously the visibility isn't going to be as good. For the most part, the camera system gives you enough room to see what you're doing, but on occasion, you may get surprised from offscreen by an enemy or hazard. This is mostly evident in levels with vertical sections due to the GBA's shorter vertical resolution, though it can happen in a few select stages. Second, the control differences I mentioned earlier can affect the difficulty of certain levels. This makes the overall difficulty more schizophrenic. For instance, Krazy Kremland has somehow become the hardest world in the game, and two levels from it (Mudhole Marsh and Rambi Rumble) are suddenly two of the most frustrating stages in the game. I started Mudhole Marsh with 25-30 lives, and when I finally beat it, I was left with only about 5 to spare. It took me tons more to beat Rambi Rumble, partly due to the butchered barrel cannons, which 50% of the time respond too late, and the fact that Kutlasses can kill you from above. Those aforementioned barrel cannons also made the mineshaft levels from Crocodile Cauldron and Bramble Blast from Krem Quay quite annoying to play. Somehow, Screech's Sprint also became more annoying despite Squawks' overall better control. Beyond these few isolated incidents, though, the difficulty of the game remains perfectly fair... until we consider the bosses. They are all still on the easy side, with only the last few really posing somewhat of a challenge, mostly from legitimate challenge over unpredictable bullshit... Mostly. For one, King Zing's weak point is a lot harder to hit because it's lower than you expect. It was annoying at first, but once I figured this out, it was fine. The most notable addition to the game is a new boss fight. Instead of K. Rool faking out Diddy and Dixie in Stronghold Showdown, they are ambushed by a new boss - a giant, fire-breathing Kremling called Kerozene. Screw this boss. It's not the worst boss ever, but it can be very unpredictable and just isn't that fun to fight. It's also a fairly long fight, and if you die, the boss resets, making for some majorly frustrating moments. He is, for some reason, the hardest boss in the game. Like I said, though, it isn't the worst thing ever. Thankfully, the final boss against Kaptain K. Rool is just as good as the SNES version. His fight is still very well-designed, and remains as fun as ever and poses a nice challenge. Conclusion In short, the GBA remake of Donkey Kong Country 2 is a good game on its own. Despite some issues I mentioned, the game remains very faithful to the SNES original and is a good way to experience the game. So, to answer the questions I posed at the start of this review : 1. Is DKC2 GBA a good game on its own? As I've just stated, yes, it is. It's a pretty enjoyable game on its own merits. 2. How does it compare to the original? Well, if you couldn't guess, I still do prefer the SNES original. The better control and absence of schizophrenic difficulty in the original lead me to prefer it overall, despite the GBA remake's improvements to the save system. At the end of the day, the biggest advantage of the GBA version over the SNES original besides the save system is the portability. This is the only portable version of DKC2, which may be a huge plus for some. While I personally like playing on a big screen more, I don't mind portable consoles at all. With that, it's time to move on. The next few reviews will probably be of Super Mario Advance 2 : Super Mario World and the remakes of DKC1 and DKC3, but since I now own the PS1 Crash games, Pac-Man World, and Yoshi's Island, and am still in the middle of Spyro 1 and Spyro 2, you never really know. As always, I'll see you all next time. 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